Hallway• The Victorian House

The Hallway, Opened Up

Our contractor got started last week on our second floor remodeling project. After just two days, the built-in was removed and the hallway was opened up. We have natural daylight in the hall now, from the window that was blocked off before!

Removing the Hallway's Built-in Storage

The Hallway, Newly Opened Up

There is a large bedroom closet that we could divide and tap into from the hallway if we ever want to add more storage near the bathroom, but it’s not in the plans right now. And though the built-in had been there a long time (70-80 years?), it was not original to the house. There were a few layers of some very old wallpaper hiding beneath it, confirming that the hall once went straight through.

Very Old Wallpaper

The floor beneath was gone though, and the stuff on the stairway side is ugly high-traffic carpet over red linoleum over a couple layers of who-knows-what. So yeah, the floor is going to need some work, but we expected that going into this.

Exposed Subfloor

There’s still a lot of work to go, but it’s looking really good so far!

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  • Claudia
    July 15, 2014 at 7:05 am

    <3 <3 <3

  • Heidi
    July 15, 2014 at 7:08 am

    I would have been that person counting windows outside going, “But where is that window in the house?” Will you be able to re-use any part of the built-ins anywhere else in the house?

    • Making it Lovely
      July 15, 2014 at 10:23 pm

      Well, I knew it was there, haha! It’s in the floor plan from the other day. It wasn’t covered up, just blocked from the rest of the hall by the built-ins. We removed them as best we could and saved the doors and drawers, along with what was salvageable of the wood. No plans for reusing them right now, but we’ll hold on to the pieces in the basement for a while just in case.

  • Rachelle
    July 15, 2014 at 7:59 am

    such a neat reno! I love finding hidden layers of flooring and wallpaper. It’s fun to imagine how the space has looked over the years. To bad you couldn’t have used the wood in your built ins.

  • Kristina
    July 15, 2014 at 8:30 am

    I love it opened up! Looking at the floorplans it didn’t really make sense to not have that hallway go through.

  • Sarah
    July 15, 2014 at 9:28 am

    Just started reading your blog again. Kinda funny– my bro & SIL in Oak Park were home shopping at the same time you were, and they actually looked at your house. :) They ended up buying on N. Scoville. Chances are, you may have looked at their home as well.

    I forgot how much I love this blog! <3

    • Making it Lovely
      July 15, 2014 at 10:25 pm

      Oh, that’s funny — we might have looked at theirs! And thanks for coming back. :)

  • Julie
    July 15, 2014 at 9:36 am

    SO AWESOME. Looks amazing!

  • Brooke
    July 15, 2014 at 9:44 am

    Love the uncovered window! And the idea of continuing to shape the house back to more of its original layout. I’m also curious about whether you were able to salvage some of the built-in storage to be used elsewhere. Looking forward to see how this project goes!

    • Making it Lovely
      July 15, 2014 at 10:26 pm

      The doors and drawers, along with some of the wood are being stored in the basement. The back and sides were just supports attached to the walls, so not reusable.

  • jenn aka the picky girl
    July 15, 2014 at 9:48 am

    Amazing! I love all that light! And the wallpaper is too cool. I bet you guys are so excited. What a change this will make..

  • Tina Slocum
    July 15, 2014 at 11:22 am

    Oh the layers of wallpaper are romantic and intriguing! Doesn’t it make your imagination sparkle with the warm history of your old new home? What magic! The light in the hallway now is lovely. Your project will be amazing as always.

  • Christina
    July 15, 2014 at 11:31 am

    WOW! I love the old wallpaper, but I bet the original flooring smells musty/yucky? Small price to pay for some light! : )

    • Making it Lovely
      July 15, 2014 at 10:32 pm

      No, no bad smells! I didn’t even think of that — I’m glad it hasn’t been an issue.

  • Carin
    July 15, 2014 at 1:16 pm

    Love the glimpses of the old wallpaper, so fun to imagine how the house was decorated just after it was built!

  • Jennifer
    July 15, 2014 at 1:25 pm

    Was Rosemary’s Baby back behind that hallway? ;)

    • Making it Lovely
      July 15, 2014 at 10:34 pm

      I’ve not seen it, which is probably for the best if this is at all reminiscent. I don’t handle scary movies very well!

  • Miriam
    July 15, 2014 at 1:25 pm

    The traffic flow is going to be worlds better, looks like. And it’s always a bonus to have natural light, especially in a hallway. Good job!

  • Laura Jane
    July 15, 2014 at 1:30 pm

    WOW. Taking that out just changes everything, doesn’t it? I wonder if you end up tapping in to the big closet from the hallway, if you could repurpose the built-in there?

    I’m also really taken with the old wallpaper and layers of the-house-that-was you’re running in to here.

    • Making it Lovely
      July 15, 2014 at 10:34 pm

      It wouldn’t be nearly as wide, but we did save the pieces in case we find a place for them.

  • Kara
    July 15, 2014 at 1:45 pm

    This is fantastic. Your upstairs floor plan makes a thousand percent more sense to me now. How cool to find that old wallpaper! And the natural light!

  • Lesley
    July 15, 2014 at 5:09 pm

    That’s going to look fabulous when it’s completed… I REALLY hope you can leave some of that old wallpaper there to give some context to the history of your lovely home. A friend of mine did that with a small section of some VERY old wallpaper at her place and, apart from being a real talking point, looks terrific.

    • Making it Lovely
      July 15, 2014 at 10:35 pm

      Aw, that’s a cool idea. Ours is already down.

  • Jeannie
    July 15, 2014 at 11:55 pm

    I’m glad I found your blog!! I love your stories, frank writing matter, and photographs. It’s awesome! My partner and I just bought a home, so I’m thoroughly enjoying your house posts :) but I wandered over here while searching for something watercolor-related.

  • Sayeh, The Office Stylist
    July 16, 2014 at 11:41 am

    Wow! Impressive remodel so far. It was a very smart decision to open up the space to create more natural light. I can’t wait to see the finished product!

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  • shavonda@ahomefullofcolor
    July 24, 2014 at 11:45 pm

    OOh it looks awesome! I love all the beautiful wood work throughout your house. Good call opening it up:)

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